Do first fruits still apply in our modern generation where we work and earn salaries? If it does, how do we calculate it?

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 shows the instructions the Lord gave the Israelites about offering their firstfruits once they came into the land…Canaan. Let’s read that portion. “And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.”

The offering of the first fruit was to be gathered in a basket and brought to the priest. The presenter of the first fruit then would acknowledge God’s goodness in rescuing them from the land of Egypt and bringing them into Canaan. In verse 10 we see that the presenter would say, “And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God.” The first born of man or beast was considered to be the Lord’s and was part of the first fruit. Exodus 22:29, “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: THE FIRSTBORN OF THY SONS shalt thou give unto me.”

By giving God the firstfruits, the Israelites acknowledged that all good things came from the Lord and that everything belongs to the Lord. Giving the firstfruits was also a way of announcing hope in God’s provision. Just like He provided the first fruits, He would also provide the rest of the crops that were needed. So, we find in the giving of the firstfruits that appreciation and trust were expressed. This is so contrary to the natural, or unsaved, man who would first lay up in store for himself and his family and then give to the Lord what was left over. This is the act that would be considered wise now, even as then. Then again, faith in the Lord has never been applauded by the world. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The unsaved man just cannot grasp the beauty and benefit of having faith in the Lord Jesus, and giving to the Lord our best and first.

How do we apply this offering to our lives today? Well, let’s read James 1:18, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” We need to be mindful, just as God wanted Israel to be mindful, that we and all we have belong to God. It’s ALL His. We are His, so it is important that we see that we should all give ourselves to the Lord. Often when I’m asked about how much we should give to the Lord, I respond by saying that we should give our ALL to the Lord. After all, it’s His anyway. There is much more that could be said about the firstfruits and our relationship to it. In the giving of ourselves to the Lord we, too, acknowledge the appreciation and trust that we have in the Lord. We will end with that and encourage you to research out other scriptures regarding this. (231.2)